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I've used all three (34, 46, 58)each for 50 or more miles on different section hikes on the AT. I don't need the 46 any longer and you can have it for much cheaper if you don't mind the original orange/grey colors. Other than one 5 day section hike it has not seen any use.

You need to consider not just how much gear you'll be carrying, but how much weight as well. The 46 starts to get uncomfortable around 25lbs. I've had it up over 30lbs and spent a lot of time adjusting as I was hiking. The hip belt tends to slide down and put all the weight on your shoulders when it gets above 25lbs. If you can keep your weight under 25lbs and can fit all of your gear in it then I say go for the 46. Although trying to fit a week or more worth of gear is gonna be a challenge unless you are very minimal with your gear. It does hold a surprising amount though.

"As a well spent day brings happy sleep, a well spent life brings happy death." -Da Vinci

Fully agreed with SwingIt. For me it didn't matter if it was the 46 or the 58, more than 21-23 pounds and this pack cuts into the shoulders and is a challenge on the hip.
It is great for big fluffy downy loads and a tot. pack weight of of 20-21 pounds....I too have carried much more weight and eaten down the load but the first day or two on the trail I didn't like it at all.

So I'm planing on some week long or longer backpacking trips and am trying to decide which backpack to get. I really like the Osprey Exos series, either the 46 or 58...thoughts?

Do the "gear volume shuffle": take everything you'd normally take on a trip (including food and your water container[s]) and stick it in a box. Level it off as best possible and take the dimensions in cm. Multiply width x length x height to find volume and then divide by 1,000 (the number of cubic cm in a L). Now you can tell which pack will (theoretically; sometimes manufacturers' dimensions are slightly off) fit your stuff.

I concur. I had a 58. You could get WAY more than 25 lbs worth of gear into it. Above that weight in all just goes wrong. Not sure if its the shoulder straps stretching under the weight making the trampoline back get the load even FURTHER from your center of gravity or a combination. Still, get the 46. I really enjoyed the 58, but needed more weight capacity since I've started hiking with my kids.

46

I am at 23 lbs with full winter gear and 3 days worth of food, and everything fits nicely in the 46. Perfect pack size for me. I had my heart set on a ULA when I last went pack shopping. I was at MRO in Damascus and I tried on the ULA and then the Exos46. Back and forth I went for about an hour. I so wanted the ULA but it just didn't feel as comfortable as the exos. I went with the exos46 and have been very pleased. The medium Packa fits just around the frame perfectly.
CT